South Asia

Protest against the threats and intimidation unleashed on women activists of the social work organisation SANGRAM and the prostitutes collective VAMP (Veshya AIDS Mukabla Parishad) by the Nippani Circle Inspector of Police Satish Khot and the Shiv Sena corporator of Nippani.

Dr. Younus Shaikh, a peace activist and founder of the Progressive group 'Enlightenment', was a teacher at the Capital Medical College for Homeopathy, Islamabad. He was arrested on 5th October 2000 by the Islamabad police and charged under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code. All petitions for bail were rejected by the Lower and High Courts. On 24 July 2001 the Multan Bench of Lahore High Court confirmed the death sentence of Ayub Masih, a Christian, in a blasphemy case. Ayub Masih of Arifwala, Distt. Sahiwal (Southern Punjab) was arrested on 14 October, 1996 on the charge of passing derogatory remarks against the Prophet Muhammad. The appeal in one case is currently being heard while in the other case the appeal has already been turned down at the High Court level. It is therefore of the utmost urgence that all friends respond now to place pressure on the Pakistan authorities and ensure that these precious
lives are not lost.

A booklet which aims to break the cycle of impunity in cases of honour killings by clarifying common misconceptions about the law and by providing information on some basic aspects of the law and the operation of the legal machinery in Pakistan as it relates to murder.

On July 7, 2001, police in Lucknow raided the offices of Bharosa Trust and the Naz Foundation, seizing HIV/AIDS
prevention material, including educational brochures, videos, and condoms. The Senior Superintendent of Police concluded that both agencies were running "gay clubs" and spreading gay culture throughout Lucknow.

In contemporary debates regarding Muslim identity in South Asia no issue is as prominent or as hotly contested as the character and social role of Islamic law. Though the controversies are directly relevant to present day concerns the questions themselves are neither new nor innocent of colonial influence. The existing corpus of Islamic law in the subcontinent owes a great deal to the legacy of colonial jurists who systematised and gave shape to Anglo-Muhammadan law over many decades.